The Aftermath
by Eudaimonial
Summary: Asami is rebuilding Future Industries, Mako is a police officer, Bolin is trying to restore the probending league, and Korra is swamped with Avatar duties… Wait, what's up with Tahno?... A relatively realistic continuation of the first book, set directly after the last episode.
1. Chapter 1: The Exhaustion

A/N: Currently, this story is largely *unedited* so please bear with it. I have a mild phobia of sharing my writing, so I figured if I waited to do a full edit I'd never work up the courage to publish anything at all. Please enjoy! ((Note: I'm in China for the next month so updates will be slow, but once I'm home, a chapter takes only a day or two.))

Chapter 1: The Exhaustion

The young woman kneeled before the Avatar, with her neck craned backwards and eyes trembling. Korra pressed her thumb against the girl's forehead and felt the other bender's energy intermingle with her own. Their eyes and mouths glowed exceptionally bright, pulsating and radiating outwards. Fire began to flow from the woman's fingertips and she was released from Korra's energybending, gasping on the floor and crying words of thanks.

This was Korra's life since she returned to Republic City after Amon's defeat. The people celebrated their Avatar's victory, and rejoiced at her ability to bring their bending back. It was nice at times, really it was, but the more recognition she got, the more people expected of her. There were still buildings needing repairing, a social structure that needed reforming, people who needed healing, and worst of all, there were still residual Equalist supporters, furious at their great leader's demise, causing havoc. The top priority, however, was giving back the citizen's bending. As she waited for the next bender to step forward, she peered out her office window, and saw a line of tired men, women, and children stretching from the ornate council chamber's doors as far as the eye could see. She didn't understand how Amon could have taken bending away from _this many people_. He must have been working years before she ever step foot into the City.

"Mr. Tahno is up next!" she heard her assistant call. The door swung upon and, sure enough, the pale-faced waterbender sauntered in as if nothing had changed, though he could not hide his sunken and humbled eyes. She gazed at him wearily, half-expecting a snarky comment. He tried to maintain his cool stance, with one hand on his hip and another smoothing his hair. "Avatar," he seemed to speak with his usual sultry condescension before chuckling and lifting his eyes to meet hers, "You kept your promise." His lips turned up slightly, and his eyes shone with sincerity. Korra relaxed and walked over to him, "Now that Amon's gone you can go back to being a hotshot probender, eh?" She gestured for him to kneel on the floor.

"I'm not that guy anymore," he tipped his head back, "I'd love to see him again, but he's gone forever." Korra placed her thumb between his eyes, and the two benders began to glow blue and white. Though it only lasted a moment, Korra could feel something… different… from his energy. Not that he was different from any of the others, it was just incredibly different from, well, _him_. She expected his pompous effrontery to manifest in swirling and intricate patterns of energy rushing into him like a reversed fireworks display. Instead, she felt a small, glowing orb of candlelight go forth from her spirit, timidly moving along its path to his chakra like a small child. It flickered warmly and the light went out, settling itself back into its home, deep within Tahno's spirit.

"Well that was unexpected," she said, helping him off the floor. "What," he asked, "is something wrong?" This was the first time she'd seen him legitimately scared since their first encounter. "Did it not work? Is my bending never coming back?"

"No," she leaned to sit on the top of her desk. "You're fine. You're just—" she sighed, "You're not who I thought you were."

He looked at her quizzically, and brushed off his sleek suit, "What do you mean?" He didn't seem entirely pleased with this news. "Is there some Avatar mind-reading power I don't know about?" he laughed cautiously. "No, no…" Korra said, "Let's just say your spirit energy is, um, sweet." Probably the wrong word choice. His face recoiled in disgust, "Sweet? What's that supposed to mean?"

Suddenly, Korra's assistant opened the door, calling out "Mr. Yun!" and another citizen shuffled in, unaware of his interruption, but ecstatic to finally meet the Avatar, and even more anxious to retrieve his bending. The secretary bowed to Tahno and gestured to the door, "If you would please, sir." Tahno quickly reverted his face back to its usual calm, collected, and superior smirk, and turned to walk out the door. "Certainly," he said, "I'll see you 'round, Avatar."

As he closed the door behind him, Korra shouted, "Meditate on it! It's a good side of you." It shut before she could get a response. And so Korra's daily routine of restoring bending continued once more, with very few other interesting stories to speak of.

At the end of the day, her assistant nervously peered into her office door to find her slumped on the desk, half-conscious and groaning. He gasped "Oh! Avatar!" and began earnestly, but uselessly, tittering around the room in search of something to raise her spirits. She raised a hand, face still planted on the wooden desk, "It's alright, Lee. The energybending just takes a lot out of me. I'll have Naga carry me home." His pacing abruptly stopped. "Would you like me to call a cab? Bring you a meal? Some tea, perhaps? Maybe— "

"Lee. It's fine. You're not Tarrlok's page any more, you're my partner. Take the night off and relax for once…," Korra seemed half-drunk in her drowsy state, flopping her arms on the table and groaning with each muscle's movement. "I really just wanna go to bed," she moaned, and seemed to fall asleep moments after.

"Oh-! Um, well, I suppose I should call… someone… Um, I hope she wasn't serious about the night off, there's far too much work to be done: papers to sign, approvals—" Lee scurried off to find a phone book, and proceeded to call Air Temple Island's Northern building before being verbally ambushed by a small boy who seemed to lack any concept of politeness. He heard an older man's voice scolding the child in the background, was once more assaulted by a young man demanding to know where "his" Korra is, and finally the phone connection broke from all the mess. The Water Council member's chamber, Korra's temporary office, had a private number, so Lee doubted they could call back and he certainly did not want to try and redial. The assistant scurried to and fro once more, trying to find another suitable and trustworthy contact (and he did not have much faith in the great polarbear-dog). He tugged at his beard, muttering, "What to do, what to do…"

Much to his distaste, he found himself forced to pull her personal contact book from her satchel, slung over the back of her chair. He extended two fingers and carefully drew out the compact book, holding it as far as possible from his body, as if it were toxic. Too ashamed at his breach of privacy, he flipped to the first page of the "A" section and dialed the first number, then quickly placed the book back in the Avatar's satchel pocket while the phone rang. He would not compromise his sense of duty ever again.

"Hello?...Hello?" the phone called out. He scampered to it, "H-hello! Yes! Um, Miss…?"

"Sato. Asami Sato. Who is this? What's going on? How do you have my personal number? I swear if this is another threat call from those Equalist junkies—"

"No, no! Oh, forgive the interruption, Ms. Sato! My name is Lee. Lee Wong. Avatar Korra's personal assistant during the Reconstruction. She is, um, currently unconscious. Not that anything's wrong! She's just rather drained from energybending so many citizens day after day… In any case, could you direct me to a trusted friend of hers that might be able to bring her home at this late hour?"

The phone laughed. "Yeah, I think I can find a trusted friend. I'll be there in 15 minutes." The line was disconnected once more. Lee breathed a sigh of relief, shuffled to the door, bowed to the unconscious Avatar, and took his leave to organize her itinerary for the next day.

Korra, meanwhile, vaguely had a dream of staggering against Asami's shoulder and driving off on her motorcycle. Even after waking up in the Sato mansion, she still was not entirely sure what happened; her memories seemed lucid. She did not remember Asami's guards carrying her up to a room, or the Sato family maids scrubbing her, or being changed into white silk pajamas and tucked into a feather bed by the eldest housekeeper, who went "tsk, tsk, tsk" at Korra's baggy eyes and tired chi.


	2. Chapter 2: The Mansion

Chapter 2: The Mansion

"Hey, Korra! Korra, wake up!" Asami's gentle voice gently tugged at sleep's sweet hold, and Korra woke to an ornate room with sunlight spilling through the windows, and Asami softly shaking her shoulder. "Hey, there you are! You've been asleep for nearly 15 hours! You've been working WAY too hard. It's not healthy." At this point Korra was wide awake and slowly realizing one, she was not in her Air Temple cot and two, she was terribly late for her Avatar duties with the council page.

"What happened, Asami?" she rubbed her eyes and began stretching. "Well," Asami began, "Your assistant called me, and said you passed out from exhaustion, so he needed someone to take you home. The Island is rather far, and it's nearly impossible for me to get a boat that late, so I brought you back here."  
"What about Lee? I'm supposed to have a full day today, and you said I've been asleep for…how long? Fifteen hours?" She began to feel panicked, but her body didn't have the energy to throw off her blankets and run back to the council chambers like she wanted to.

"He's a very sweet old man, but really persistent. He showed up at our gates at 5AM sharp this morning…. Wouldn't take any money, so we could only get him to leave by sending some of the company secretaries over to rearrange appointments and help him deal with paperwork in your place… And we could only get him to leave _willingly_ with the promise that a rest day for you will make you all the more productive."

Korra's eyes widened in surprise, "You mean, I have a day off? I've barely had any downtime since I came to Republic City in the first place… Wow, Asami, this is great. Thank you."

"Don't worry about it. Rebuilding Future Industries keeps me pretty busy, but I have to spare time for a friend, right? Anyway, whenever you're ready, get dressed and see me in my office before you leave. Take your time." Asami carefully closed the door behind her, and her footsteps echoed on the marble floors.

Korra yawned, stretching her arms high, and rotated her stiff neck. She slowly slid out of the soft, lush bed and found her clothes folded on a nearby armchair, clean and perfumed; no doubt the work of the maids again. She undressed and slid her usual garb on, feeling the dull ache of her energybending's after-effects begin to subside the more she moved around. The Avatar wound her hair into its usual ponytails, and left the extravagant bedroom.

Since Amon and Tarrlok were found dead, Mr. Sato received the brunt of the legal persecution. He was stripped of his company, sued for millions, and jailed indefinitely. However, the Republic City government recognized that Future Industries monopolized the automobile industry, and it would be devastating to the city's economic growth if they shut it down. Asami was named the new CEO, and she was tasked with completely reforming and rebuilding the company into a completely new image. Naturally, restarting a massive company is tough, but it's even rougher to deal with hate from the public who thinks she's still supplying Equalists and from the Equalists who know she helped kill Amon. The money the city sued out of Mr. Sato was ironically issued right back to his daughter, and so the mansion, the plants, and all of the former Future Industries buildings remained intact and in her ownership.

The last time she was in the Sato mansion, Korra felt out of place and awkward. At that time she couldn't accept hospitality from Mako's "girlfriend" and after taking a bathroom break to get away from it all, she ended up discovering Hiroshi's secret and everything just got worse. Walking through it now, however, was a totally different experience. After experiencing the fear and terror during the war against Amon, she began to appreciate things in a totally different way. Korra had been taken care of all her life and she never realized how much perspective suffering brings. That was probably why Mako and Bolin were enjoying Asami's pool while Korra refused to join them: they appreciated all the opportunities they were given, and she did not.

The house was grand, with a high-vaulted ceiling in the entrance, ballrooms and scenic dining rooms along the sides, and winding staircases leading to fifteen luxury guest rooms. Everything was oaken and marble, with careful and ornate carvings tastefully decorating the walls and the floors. The mansion was built around a large, beautiful garden, complete with a turtleduck pond, cherry blossom trees, and flowers of every color imaginable. The Sato family and the servants' bedrooms were on the second floor, towards the back, and Asami's office was even further back. She said that she wanted to clearly separate business from social entertainment, since the Sato family tended to throw many massive parties in the ballrooms for Republic City's upper-class, as anyone with such an estate was expected to do.

Korra spent some time exploring the place before making her way past the bedrooms and into the no-nonsense financial area of the house, a very basic stark white hallway with many unlabeled doors save for a red one reading "CEO". She knocked and carefully slipped in. Asami was sitting at her desk, speaking with a client. The businesswoman looked up and smiled, "Korra, come in! Don't worry about interrupting. I think you two might know each other…"

The client stood from his chair and bowed. "So nice to see you two days in a row, Avatar," he said with his usual sultry, yet mildly sarcastic, tone of voice.

"Tahno? What's he doing here?" Korra was taken aback.

"He's a client, Korra," Asami said, "The probending arena is being repaired, and the new bending season starts in a few weeks. Funding teams has always been a good marketing strategy, and this is the perfect opportunity for the company to debut with a fresh start."

"B-but what about the Fire Ferrets?" Korra fumed, "You can't just abandon them! I won't allow it!" Her temper always seemed to get the best of her.

"Korra, right now there aren't going to be any Fire Ferrets. At least, not the same Fire Ferrets you knew and loved. Bolin's doing the best he can to recruit new members, but you know Mako's joined the police force, and you'll be busy being the Avatar. I'm surprised you haven't been checking up on them, but I guess you're working late all the time." Asami averted her gaze to the floor, avoiding eye contact, "Plus, I think it's best that I don't do business with Bolin for a while. It wouldn't be… professional." Korra knew she was still too hurt to talk to Mako and didn't want her bias to affect the way she conducted business. Even though Bolin was the new team captain, he still reminded her of her issues with Mako.

Yes, the entire situation had been one big fiasco, but that's how all relationships seem to go anyway. Mako didn't have the decency to give any sort of break-up preamble or apology, instead opting to subtly pass hints that he liked Korra, and finally pushing Asami away from an embrace with a final "I can't do this." Since then, they have not spoken more than was required, though Asami was kicking herself for weeks for calling him the moment she resettled into the mansion. Korra was probably her closest female friend. The two grew close throughout their time knowing each other, as any two comrades in any war would, but she felt less than comfortable complaining about Mako to his new "girlfriend" and her other friends from her schooling days just didn't understand what she'd been through. It wasn't their fault, but it was still a profoundly lonely feeling.

"I hate to interrupt, but I believe I have business to settle," Tahno ran his fingers through his hair and smirked at Korra.

"So much for kind and gentle energy," Korra muttered, "Well, I'll be off then."

"I'll call a driver for you," Asami reached for the phone. "No," Korra cut her off, "It's okay. I can get Naga." She bowed and briskly walked out, leaving Tahno and Asami to discuss their business ventures once more.

Mako, Bolin, and Tenzin were all working their respective jobs and wouldn't be back until later in the evening, so Korra figured she'd just walk around town and enjoy her freedom until then. She walked through the office hallway, past the bedrooms, down the twisting staircases and past the kitchens—Oomf!

"Ah! Ah! I'm so sorry!" a little maid, a full head shorter than Korra, shivering with her head bowed, "P-p-p-please forgive me Avatar Korra! I'll watch where I'm going next time!" She was petrified in awe.

"Hey, relax, it was just a little bump. You alright?" Korra reached out to brush off the other girl's shoulder but she continued to shiver.

The maid suddenly lowered her body into a full right-angled bow. "Thank you so much, Avatar!" the girl yelled in her small voice, "It is an honor to meet you!" The two girls began to converse , and drew the attention of several other servants, who began to listen. Korra learned that every house staff member was indebted to the Sato family in some way. They revered Hiroshi Sato as a great man, with some of the older staff even being in full support of his part in the Equalist movement. The majority of them were non-benders, as Hiroshi always tried to employ a non-bender where bending was not required, but supported the Avatar whole-heartedly. The young girl, however, was a bender who was forced to hide her identity in order to continue working with the Sato's.

She told Korra how her boss had begun to lose sight of the true purpose of his fight for equality, threatening to fire and harass any employee who betrayed his secret and told the police of his dealings with Amon. The non-benders divided themselves into extremes: they were either fanatically supportive or disgusted when they found out Hiroshi was supplying a terrorist. The benders were simply afraid for their lives. The unrest in the Sato mansion began to swell in the unbearable silence, everyone watching and waiting, nervously going about their duties as if one wrong move would shatter an iceberg. So how great was the day when Avatar Korra captured Amon! How amazing was it to finally breathe and speak the truth with Asami as their new employer!

Korra listened to the stories and praises of the group of servants gathered around her, and began to realize what it meant to have fame. When she first came to Republic City, the title "Avatar" had little to no weight. She had certain duties expected of her, but otherwise people treated her as they would any other citizen. Now that she was credited with "single-handedly capturing Amon" (as the newspapers pitched it), people began to respect her. Of course, they would have respected anyone who brought Amon to justice, but it was as if the entire world woke up one day and said, "Oh! The Avatar! That's right, we should be praising our savior, the Avatar!" It seemed like the same phenomenon occurred when a popular entertainer died: the world says, "Oh! That singer! That's right, I loved his music so much! I should spend the next week paying tribute." And so, Korra tried not to let her fame go to her head, but it was nice to be showered with praise now and then. Of course, there were probably plenty of others in the house that hated her for doing away with Amon, and even more who hated her for not doing enough. She'd always be compared to Aang.

Realizing that precious relaxation was draining away, Korra did her best to politely excuse herself from the maids, and slid out the great doors of the mansion to a stately courtyard designated for guest parking.

"My, my…still here, Avatar? The papers say you're booked solid with work… and I can't imagine you'd shirk your duties," a voice called. She turned around to find a helmeted Tahno.

"Pssht. I have a day off. For once, I'm trying to relax and not hurry around so much." She put her hands behind her head and pretended to not be fazed by him. "It's such a nice day!" she arched her back to stretch it, and look towards the pristine sky, "I'm just gonna take my time and walk."  
Tahno mounted his motorbike. "Don't be silly," he said, "I saw you energybending. You're exhausted. Come on, I'll give you a ride." He tapped his sidecar and gave her a mischievous look. Korra narrowed her eyes, "I still don't know if I trust you. Seems like your ego came back with your waterbending."

His eyes softened, and Korra thought she saw that tiny bouncing light once more. "Korra," he said, "I just want to talk."


	3. Chapter 3: The Conversation

Chapter 3: The Conversation

Korra was strapped rather uncomfortably in Tahno's sidecar, with no clue where they were going. He didn't speak for the entire ride, mainly because he was focused on his erratic driving, maneuvering in and out of traffic and speeding when he got the chance. Eventually he pulled over on the curb of a little sidestreet in the old traditional district of the city. He gestured for her to get out, and they walked into a noodle shop.

"We first met in a seaweed noodle joint," Korra laughed, "Funny how things change, isn't it? I wonder if you still squeal like a girl. Should I call Naga?" He gave her a silent, displeased look and turned to ask the server for two super specials before situating himself at a nearby table.

Korra sat across from him, finding the iron nails in the tabletop surface to be particularly fascinating. She drummed her fingers and proceeded to admire the restaurant architecture, avoiding eye contact with the extremely confusing man who was taking her out to lunch. She finally folded her hands in lap and looked at him earnestly. "So!" she said, "What did you want to talk about?" He ignored her, turning his head to call the waiter over to bring him a jasmine tea. 'Weird guy,' she thought. They continued to sit in silence for a certifiably awkward period of time until their noodles came, steaming with vegetables, seafood, and shimmering broth.

"Ah, there we go!" his voice seemed unnaturally bright. "Sorry," he slurped a noodle, "It's hard for me to have a conversation when I'm hungry. Man, I haven't had food like this in ages…" Korra scrunched her eyebrows. One minute he's suave and silent, the next he's excited over noodles? "You know, I'm really not sure what to think of you," she said, ignoring her food, "One minute you're a jerk, the next you're—" she paused, choosing her words carefully, "It's like you're a completely different person."

Tahno set his chopsticks on top of the bowl, wiped his mouth, and spoke, "Avatar, the sexy hotshot you first met in the noodle shop loved himself, and the pitiful creature you saw in the council chamber hated the world. The man you see before you is a fair mixture of both."

"What does that even mean?" she said between mouthfuls of noodles. She didn't realize how hungry she was until she began eating; especially since she skipped breakfast at Asami's. "Shouldn't you learn to love the world and put others before yourself? You're much better off as a pitiful man than a proud one."

He chuckled, "Spoken like a true novice." 'Oh look, Tahno's back,' Korra thought, rolling her eyes. He continued, "As an Avatar, you should realize that you can only learn to love humanity once you love yourself, and you can only accomplish that by hating the world."

"Once again, you're not making any sense," she scoffed.

"Not "the world" in the traditional sense, but _the world_," he began to take on a new tone, embittered with passion, "Money, popularity, fame… it all went away with my bending. I hated the world because I hated my circumstances, and I learned how to lead an entirely new and miserable lifestyle as an unemployed bum. Do you know how hard it was living like that? I was shamed in during the biggest match of my career, with thousands watching. Everyone knew who I was, and they all avoided me as if Amon gave me some sort of infectious disease."

He drank a swig of tea unceremoniously, and began to sound angry, "I lost everything. After the incident with Amon, my probending manager kicked me out of the league dorms, and I slept on park benches for weeks, never knowing where my next meal would come from. The only reason why we're sitting in this noodle shop today is because your pretty friend is paying me huge money to be Future Industries newest spokesperson when the league starts up. Only the spirits know why… I'm the most ostracized guy in Republic City. If anything, she should hire you, Little Miss Avatar."

Korra could only continue to eat, and soak in his words. He seemed much different than the borderline lecherous and arrogant man surrounded by a posse of girls. She had never had a real conversation with him before, however, so she supposed she never knew him from the beginning. "Do you know how hard it was?" Those words kept ringing through her ears; they reminded her of young Mako and Bolin, scraping by on the streets. No, she didn't know how hard it was, and she's never had an inkling of how hard it was until this experience with Amon. She's been sheltered, protected, and taken care of by her family, the water tribe, the White Lotus, and the entire Air Temple. The Avatar had never been without support or companionship, and so she had no clue how to respond.

"Getting back to the point," he said, realizing how he cornered her, "I had to learn to hate the world and survive for myself. The world wasn't going to give me anything, _people_ weren't going to give me anything…and I just had to, well, look to myself. I had a lot of time to think. So, there you have it: I am the man who hates the world and loves himself."

She began to understand. He was not evil nor selfish, but lost and bitter. He was forced to take a very painful road from self-absorption in pleasure to a new self-centered, but lonely, life because of his distrust of others. She decided the current Tahno was an improvement, but an incredibly tragic one. Korra was trying to pick the right words out, the perfect words that would encourage him yet acknowledge his suffering yet maintain her dignity simultaneously. Instead, she impulsively blurted, "Why tell me all this?"  
He drank the last of the broth in his bowl, "Because you're the only person who would listen. And," he added, "because you needed to hear it."

He dropped some money on the table as he stood up, "The shoreline is about a block away from here, and the Air Temple's just across the water. I trust you'll be able to make it back." As he turned to leave, Korra felt a strange sense of panic. "Wait!" she called. He turned and raised an eyebrow. "Um," she didn't entirely know why she stopped him, "Where are you staying right now?"

He chuckled again, "We'll meet again, Avatar. We will." He paused, "But you should spend your day off with the people you care about. I'm not so cruel as to waste your precious free time. Even I have principles." He bowed to her and the waiter, slid the rice-paper door open, and walked out. Korra couldn't tell if he was being incredibly kind or excessively bitter.

She sipped the last of her tea and set off for the Air Temple.


	4. Chapter 4: The Homecoming

Chapter 4

As Korra made her way to the Air Temple, she could not help but think about Tahno. Obviously, having one's bending taken away will traumatize and transform anyone into a completely different person, but she also wondered if she had pegged him wrongly from the start. She must have seemed hot-headed and naïve when she first came to the City, just as he seemed so vain and arrogant. But is what one seems synonymous with what they are? She wasn't sure. Being the Avatar very firmly taught her that all people are complex, every individual life has a story, and it is the Avatar's duty to protect these intricately woven hearts and memories. Today she remembered that Tahno, too, has his own story.

Upon arriving at the Republic City harbors, Korra hopped down some rocks to a narrow beach, and surfed across the water to the island docks.

"It's Korra!" she heard a small voice call out from above. Soon enough, three orange figures came darting over the edge of the cliffs on whirling air scooters. She slowed her surf to a graceful stop, only to smash into one of the zipping children.

"Meelo!" Jinora scolded, creating a light puff of sand as she lowered herself to the beach, "You need to practice your control more!" The little boy only brushed himself off while laughing.

"Wooooohoooo!" just as Korra propped herself up, another burst of orange zipped around them before tumbling into the sand. As the dust cleared, the small figure cried, "Korra! We were so worried about you!"

"Yeah!" Jinora turned towards her, "We got a phone call from your assistant, but it was cut off. We thought something happened!"

"We were ready for WAR!" Meelo started punching the air. Korra laughed, "No, nothing big. Just fell asleep from at work and stayed at Asami's… so now I have the day off!" This seemed to satisfy the children, and so the group began to ascend the stairs to the main temple grounds, talking and laughing about how they should spend this rare occasion.

As they passed the dormitories and made their way to the main hall, Korra saw Pema off to the side of the air temple, hanging up laundry by the trees. "I'll play with you guys later," Korra told the children, "I just want to talk to your mom first." She walked over and Pema smiled warmly as soon as she caught sight of the Avatar. "Korra! You're okay. What happened?"

Korra filled her in on the situation, and assured her everything was okay. "But you know, it's been kinda weird around Asami. She's being really nice. Like, _really_ nice. She was the first number in my notebook, but I didn't actually expect her to personally pick me up, give me a room at her mansion, and reorganize my schedule so I could have a day off. If anything, I was bracing myself for her eternal hatred…" she squatted on a rock and rested her head on her knees, "I never had these kinds of problems back in the water tribe."

Pema paused her folding, and gave Korra a motherly, all-knowing look, "I think she's being nice to you _because_ a part of her hates you."

"What?" This wasn't exactly the answer she expected. "Well," Pema continued, "She's left with single-handedly managing the most hated company in Republic City, with no one to help her. And on top of that… her boyfriend liked another girl more than her all along." She smiled sadly, but continued to pin the soggy clothes without pause. "I think she's being nicest to you because she's a good person. She doesn't want to hate anyone, and so she's doing everything in her power to pretend to love you so that one day she will actually love you."

The two women sat in silence, pondering this thought.

"Was it… Is it wrong for me to be with Mako?" Korra could feel a lump in her throat. She'd felt that same lump since Amon's fall, the same discomfort… the same guilt.

"I don't know," Pema's eyes shimmered slightly, "I ask myself that same question every day."

"I thought you told me to go after my soul mate! Fight for love and all that!" Korra looked up to Pema expectantly, wildly hoping that the mother would tell her she did the right thing. Instead Pema could only sigh, "That was before, when your situation was simple. If you like a guy, then you should tell him. If you like a guy with a girlfriend…" She grew quiet, "To this day I'm not even sure if my decision was correct. I love Tenzin and I love my family, but I'm not sure if I tried to win Tenzin back because of jealousy or because we were truly better together." She paused, trailing off into her own thoughts. "This is a situation that no one can give you advice on. Sometimes there's no "right" or "wrong" way to do things, there's only the way that happens with time."

"I guess so…" Korra mumbled. "Pema, what happened back then? With you and Lin and Tenzin. Just wondering."

"It's a long story. I'm sure you'll hear about it someday, but now's not the time—"

"HEY!" a voice called, "Long time no see!" The waterbender brightened, "Bolin! I've barely seen you in weeks." Bolin had been working hard at restoring the probending league after it briefly shut down for public security purposes. He would spend the early mornings training and the afternoons helping the managers to rebracket the teams and recruit new members for the Fire Ferrets. Luckily, he managed to get Hasook back as the team's waterbender, but he was hard-pressed to find a firebender that could replace Mako. Bolin wasn't concerned so much with finding the "best" bender as he was a responsive one. Solid and fluid communication between team members could overpower the most well-trained opponents.

Korra felt that guilty lump in her throat when she thought about Asami too much, but she felt a sad pit in her stomach when she saw Bolin. Ever since their early days as teammates, he had been extremely understanding and respectful of her feelings for Mako, and she never truly thanked him or asked how he felt since then. His feelings for her seemed to fizzle completely as he became more invested in his work with the league, but she couldn't help but hate herself for having to betray both Asami and Bolin, her best friend, for her own happiness. Was it really worth it?

She looked up at his smiling face, and noticed Hasook trailing behind him, walking at a snail's pace. "Ugh!" he cried, "I'm so sore! This guy is a regular drill sergeant…" The Avatar politely nodded in his direction; the awkwardness between them had never worn off because he was still bitter that they replaced him with Korra.

"Did you find a new firebender?" Pema asked politely.

"No," Bolin scratched his head, "Most of the good firebenders are returning to their previous teams, and the other ones don't understand how a true professional team operates. I'll keep searching though! There's always hope. Korra, you were a rookie but you managed to play pretty decently. Maybe we'll find someone like you!" He chuckled, "Although you are the Avatar I suppose." Hasook rolled his eyes.

"I'm sure you'll find someone," Korra said. She hoisted herself off the ground and brushed herself off, "I have a day off from Avatar duties, you know! Definitely come to dinner tonight. Hasook… you're welcome to join us too."

"Why in the world would I—" Hasook began.

"We'd love to!" Bolin finished. "But first, we have to take care of some business. See you at dinner then!" He waved goodbye and dragged Hasook off. She could tell her conversation with Pema would have to wait for another day, so she excused herself and made her way to the hotsprings to take a bath. If only for a short time, she needed to dissolve all this guilt and regret and relax.

Maybe Tahno was right… People and the world… It was beginning to piece itself togeth—OOF! She crashed into something firm, yet soft, and it smelled a bit like—Korra looked up: Mako!

(A/N: I'm splitting this chapter into two parts just so I can update faster! Does the pace seem too quick and choppy compared to the past chapters? I'm trying to introduce each character so the real plot can begin soon. Maybe I'm sacrificing quality for quantity...Anyway, expect more Tahno soon...heheh.)


	5. Chapter 5: The Fight

The Aftermath Chapter 5: The Fight

"Korra?" Mako laughed, "What are you doing here? Could it possibly be that the Avatar has a day off?" He pulled her into a warm hug and she was instantly able to forget her troubles; maybe she wouldn't need a trip to the hot springs after all. She embraced him back, smiling, and the two walked towards the rocky cliffs overlooking the ocean hand in hand. They seemed to exist in a bubble separate from reality, happily chatting about nothing and everything at the same time. For the first time since Amon's demise, Korra felt a sort of bubbly feeling well up from her core and spread throughout her entire body. This is why she sacrificed so much, and this is what she made others suffer for: her own perfect bliss.

Even after their tag-team efforts in defeating Amon, Mako still felt a strong sense of social justice, and felt that if his girlfriend was going to spend every waking hour fighting for a better Republic City, he should as well. Thus, Mako became the City Police Force's most promising new cadet. Understandably, the two didn't see each other often, maybe once every few weeks, but each meeting created a strong memory for each of them, and the infrequency only punctuated their emotions and memories by tenfold. After a hard day's work, both would be up at night lingering on the minute details of the short times they spent together, remembering the other's touch or smile, how they walk, how they tell stories, how they say "I love you". However, once their thoughts turned from their newfound happiness to Bolin and Asami's well-hidden but unending distress, sweet contemplation under the moonlight transformed into a tormentous, sleepless night.

They all tried not to think about it, to keep busy and never mention it, but the unspoken tension continued to accumulate the more they tried to suppress it. Bolin had become slightly more aggressive during bending training. He was still his trustworthy and smiling self, but there seemed to be an extra edge to his movement and his words at times. Asami, too, was still her same beautiful and clever self, but she began to take on a new identity in light of her newfound corporate power and complete independence. In the beginning, there were many nights when she would cry herself to sleep, but soon enough she realized that she needed to take care of _herself_ and no one else. Her face became more sharp, her speech more curt, and she soon developed a businessperson's intuition. Asami was going to reclaim her life, and she didn't expect anyone to help her along the way.

As Korra and Mako's conversation died down, Korra couldn't help but let her thoughts drift to these unpleasant topics, especially after her brief chat with Pema. The two were seated on sandy gray rocks, legs dangling over the cliffside, with Mako's arm around her shoulders. She decided not to ask him about it lest she ruin this moment.

"So," Mako turned to her, "How have you spent your day off?"

Korra shifted a bit, recollecting her morning, "Well, like I said, Asami let me stay at her place which was really great of her." She didn't want to linger on the subject of Asami, even though she wanted to talk about the Sato's amazing mansion and the story of the little handmaid girl, "But, you know, I left early and, uh… Well actually, I ate lunch with Tahno."

"What?!" he drew back, and gave her a weary look, "Why were you with _him?"_ Korra wriggled out of his grasp, shocked that he would react emotionally to this, of all things, "He's my friend! Can't I hang out with him for an hour?"

"Friend?" he looked absolutely exasperated, "Are we talking about the same jerk that always insulted us? The guy who always flipped his hair and played dirty?"

"He's changed! I don't think he was ever truly a bad guy anyway." At this point, they were both standing up and glaring at each other, the blissful bubble popped. "Why are you freaking out about this anyway? Don't you trust me?"

"He's dangerous, Korra… I don't trust _him_. Look, just don't see him again and I won't say another word about this." He took a deep breath, feeling like this was a reasonable proposal. Korra fumed, "You can't tell me what to do! I'm the Avatar, I can handle myself. I think it's just that _you_ don't trust me. I know you go and visit Asami from time to time, but I don't say anything!" That did it. She knew that this argument was going nowhere pleasant, so she quickly left as he began yelling unintelligibly behind her. Perhaps a bath was in order.

She lightly jogged down the sloping path to the hot water, undressed only to her underclothes and slowly stepped in the spring. She sank deep into the bath until the water came up to her chin and let her thoughts whirlwind around her.

It was now completely apparent that she either had to abandon her happiness with Mako or speak up about the issues with Asami, which also could potentially ruin things between her and Mako. She felt that Bolin would always be her good friend, but he'll always be cautious towards her. Asami would probably always be kind and invite her to meals or get-togethers and the like, but neither girl would be able to fully accept and love the other. Tenzin and the children would always care for her regardless of the circumstances, but Pema seemed to be distressed. The complicated relationships between Mako, Bolin, Asami, and Korra seemed to remind her of her own difficulties with Tenzin and Lin, and so she was never quite at ease while watching the four of them tensely interact.

Ah, the whole thing was a mess. On top of all this, she still has to think of her Avatar duties. Starting tomorrow she has to restore an entire suburb's bending and save up enough energy for a press conference later in the evening.

"My life is absolute chaos!" she yelled while propping herself back up to get dressed, as the sun was going down and it was getting close to dinnertime.


End file.
